Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pipe cleaning apparatus and more particularly to pipe cleaning apparatus using pressurized water.
In many industrial processes river or stream water is used as a cooling media in condensers, furnace doors, furnace jackets and generally for purposes of heat transfer. Further, this river or stream water may be used in industrial sewer lines.
Because river water contains any number of chemical and biological impurities, encrustment builds up within the inner periphery of these water conduits and causes flow rate reduction and sometimes stoppage. The encrustment is composed of scale from corrosion of the pipes, algae build-up and in industrial sewage systems, refuse. To provide efficient cooling or discharge, the encrustment must from time to time be cleaned by either mechanical means (such as reaming), chemical means or by use of hydrostatic pressure. Of these three optional methods, hydrostatic pressure has been the most economic, yet somewhat lacking in efficiency and restricted to specific applications. One such method of hydrostatic pipe cleaning is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,225 which uses a self-propelled nozzle which issues high pressure water therefrom. Briefly, the hose leads from a water tank having a high pressure pump associated therewith which delivers water at about 1,000 psi. The nozzle of the hose is arranged to emanate water backwardly from the hose, thus impelling the nozzle and hose into the pipe. The water impinges upon the encrustation on the pipe, thus flushing the impurities backwardly and into a separator which removes the solid impurities and recycles the water.
Another similar system is sold by Meyers-Sherman Company under the trademark "VACTOR JET-RODDER" and is shown in a brochure which was published in 1973. Although this type of system has achieved some acceptance in the cleaning of sewers, access of the hose to the interior of the waterline must be provided in using this system. A further disadvantage of the system wherein the hose is placed in the waterlines for cleaning, is that high pressure pumps must be provided to enact a variable water force with a hammer-like action. These pumps are expensive and must be maintained for the system to operate effectively.
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus for cleaning pipes is provided which eliminates high pressure pumps yet provides the hammer-like action required for efficient cleaning. A further advantage of the present invention is that the apparatus is adapted to be connected directly and externally of the water pipe or system, thus eliminating the necessity for placing apparatus within the water system itself, thereby allowing utilization within water systems having controverted interiors.